Weight on rear axle

[ericinva]

Since we just got our Gladiator last week, this will be our first winter with it. With our previous truck, a Dodge Dakota 4x4, I used to put 6 to 8 bags of gravel (which we'd always find a use for in the spring) in the bed of the truck for some extra weight on the axle for driving in the snow. Has anyone found that to be necessary with the Gladiator?

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[Gren71]

ive actually been wondering this my self

 

[Mac]

I doubt you would need additional weight. I went from a Tundra to the JT, I am amazed at the dirt hills I can climb in the JT that I had to put the Tundra in 4wd every time. Seems to have really good traction in 2wd compared to other trucks I have driven.

 

[fun2drum]

I doubt you would need additional weight. I went from a Tundra to the JT, I am amazed at the dirt hills I can climb in the JT that I had to put the Tundra in 4wd every time. Seems to have really good traction in 2wd compared to other trucks I have driven.

I agree the traction in 2wd is much better with my JT than with previous trucks. A few weeks ago I drove it out about 1/4 mile through the sand access "road" to the beach at Fort Fisher NC. Those of you who've been there know what I'm talking about - it's very soft and easy to get stuck there. At the turn to go past the dunes onto the beach I started bogging down into the sand and stopped, saying "What the...!? My friend said "Hey are you even in 4 wheel drive?" I couldn't believe it when I looked down and I wasn't. I couldn't believe I made it that far without 4WD in sand that soft. The previous day we had passed two trucks that were stuck and being pulled out of that same stretch of sand.

 

[IPB13]

I live in the North East and have never needed to do that in any truck. Good tires and moderation on the skinny pedal and you'll be good to go.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

it won't hurt. but if it's an inconvenience in the bed you probably don't need it.

 

[WXman]

Since we just got our Gladiator last week, this will be our first winter with it. With our previous truck, a Dodge Dakota 4x4, I used to put 6 to 8 bags of gravel (which we'd always find a use for in the spring) in the bed of the truck for some extra weight on the axle for driving in the snow. Has anyone found that to be necessary with the Gladiator?

There was a thread about this last winter that ended up getting heated. I'd suggest searching for that one instead.

But for the record, the idea of using weight in the bed of a 4x4 truck defeats the idea of four wheel drive to me. It's pointless. People do that for 4x2 trucks to get the help they need to try and navigate slick conditions. If you have 4x4 you don't need it.

 

[ericinva]

There was a thread about this last winter that ended up getting heated.

Kind of an odd topic to get heated over, but that's the Internet for you, I guess.

 

[MrZappo]

Kind of an odd topic to get heated over, but that's the Internet for you, I guess.

Sand bags in a truck bed is a very emotional thing ... Just typing this is making me upset ...

 

[Surffisher2a]

I agree the traction in 2wd is much better with my JT than with previous trucks. A few weeks ago I drove it out about 1/4 mile through the sand access "road" to the beach at Fort Fisher NC. Those of you who've been there know what I'm talking about - it's very soft and easy to get stuck there. At the turn to go past the dunes onto the beach I started bogging down into the sand and stopped, saying "What the...!? My friend said "Hey are you even in 4 wheel drive?" I couldn't believe it when I looked down and I wasn't. I couldn't believe I made it that far without 4WD in sand that soft. The previous day we had passed two trucks that were stuck and being pulled out of that same stretch of sand.

I plan to do most of my off roading on Fort Fisher when I get my gladiator. Do you find it necessary to air down or use 4Lo ? My current jeep (99TJ) i don't have to air down, but 4lo is pretty mandatory or I tend to start to overheat.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

There was a thread about this last winter that ended up getting heated. I'd suggest searching for that one instead.

But for the record, the idea of using weight in the bed of a 4x4 truck defeats the idea of four wheel drive to me. It's pointless. People do that for 4x2 trucks to get the help they need to try and navigate slick conditions. If you have 4x4 you don't need it.

But these are 2 wheel drive trucks for all practical purposes. I had so much more trouble with my JT last winter than I ever did with my Silverado that I'm considering at least 100 pounds of sand bags at the rear of the box.
It gets squirrly on the interstate with patches of snow and ice - you can't engage 4 wheel drive as there's too much dry pavement, then you hit a patch of snow and slip.

I find it really silly that some people have to prove themselves to be the bigger man by dissing anyone that puts weight in the back of their truck, but again, that's the internet. Many sign up just to argue.

I do plan on weight in the back and anyone who thinks that sissy or silly, xxxx you.
MY truck. This is Iowa - just getting up our driveway can at times be fun (I don't always plow and we've had waist deep snow on occasion).

So, explain why if you have 4x4 you don't need any weight? This is not a grand cherokee with full-time 4x4. This is TWO WHEEL drive unless you move that lever. And then it's not to be driven on dry surfaces.
Last year was a great example - I used 4x4 mode - and then would hit a half mile of dry interstate......... and I could feel things binding up, so I moved the lever - and it was not easy as it was bound, back to 2w mode, then hit another spot where the snow had drifted across the highway fairly deep, back to 4H again - then another half mile of dry - back and forth, back and forth. If I had any weight in the rear, the traction control would have helped a lot.
I had to be in 4H to get onto the side roads leading to a store I was heading too - I hit the parking lot and it was dry and the thing jumped like a bronco when I turned that steering wheel and made a tight corner- had to force it out of 4H again.
4 Wheel drive mode is fine if you have fairly constant slippery or wet conditions, but here we have dry roads for a quarter or half mile, then patches of ice, maybe drifts across the road, then dry, then more drifts.
One trip last winter I shifted between 4H and 2 at least a dozen times and it was only 10 miles.
We have a lot of wind here except in the middle of the summer - a couple of members have lived here and will attest to that. That means that after a snow, they plow the roads, and then park their plow trucks - and the wind blows snow across the roads in spots while there's DRY pavement for a ways.

My take - use your own judgement based on YOUR location and situation.
Why would anyone else be able to TELL you what you should or shouldn't do with weight?
This will vary with where you live, the roads around you, your local DOT, road clearing practices and more.
I never had the issues with my Chevy I had with the JT last winter. I hit patches that made me think I was going to join the other vehicles off I80 in the ditches, but then a few feet later, it was dry so you couldn't really use 4H mode either.
I prefer driving my WJ in the winter because the JT traction isn't the best in OUR conditions here. It's like a move backwards from my Chevy in terms of traction in bad weather unless in 4H mode. Then it's ok, but still a little light.
It's almost like going back to my F250 with it's "don't run on dry surfaces" transfer case.
I get tired of constantly having to switch transfer case modes so will try weight in the rear.
I guess I look at it this way - why not? Any valid good reasons not to? Other than OPINION, that is?

 

[OneTraveler]

Alaska resident here. I tossed 2 80lb bags over the axle last winter. Did i NEED it? Don't know. But I also know I didn't have a problem.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

There ya go.
I love it when people say you do or don't need something when they've not lived here...... and driven OUR roads with the TYPE of snow and the WINDS we have near constant. This is a fairly calm day - so far I've only had to get a couple of things out of the neighbors back yard. ;-)
Seriously, conditions are different everywhere. You might be amazed at the full size 4 wheel drive trucks around here that have weight in them in the winter. Do they need it? Maybe, maybe not - but it's security and if it's sand bags, you can do like I've done - stop and help another person off the ice by tossing some of your sand under their wheels. My wife had a truck stop and help her a few years ago when she was trying to getup an exit ramp from I80 and got stopped with her Camaro - the guy took some sand from the back of his truck and got her moving again.
I used to carry weight in my F250 4x4 - that thing was a BEAST to get back out of 4H if you had driven even a few yards on dry pavement so you resisted puttiing it in 4 unless you needed to.

It's local conditions, personal preference, and think of other uses for it, too........ like helping OTHER people - it's what JEEP people do. (or should) not diss them for asking or bashing those who do.

 

[fun2drum]

I plan to do most of my off roading on Fort Fisher when I get my gladiator. Do you find it necessary to air down or use 4Lo ? My current jeep (99TJ) i don't have to air down, but 4lo is pretty mandatory or I tend to start to overheat.

Yes I air down to 20lbs with the stock tires you can see in my avatar picture. I went from one end to the other several times at 20lbs in 4Hi with no problems whatsoever. It drives like a dream and not even close to overheating.

I wouldn't dream of driving on that sand without airing down though. No joke, I've seen some big tires dig some big holes out there because they didn't.

 

[fun2drum]

Alaska resident here. I tossed 2 80lb bags over the axle last winter. Did i NEED it? Don't know. But I also know I didn't have a problem.

My experience is that more weight does indeed give more snow traction. I used to have an old 2WD Ford F150 with snow tires. It was just kinda okay in the NC mountain snow (nothing like Alaska, LOL), but when I put concrete blocks in the back it was like a tank.

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